Fiber control for pile fabric knitting machines



J. H. HELL July 24, 1962 FIBER CONTROL FOR PILE FABRIC KNITTING MACHINESFiled Dec. 20, 1960 INVENTOR. JOHN H. HILL.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,045,459 FIBER CONTROL FOR PILE FABRICKNITTING MACHINES John H. Hill, Wayne, Pa., assignor to Wildman Jacquard(30., Norristown, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 20,1960, Ser. No. 77,081 2 Claims. (Cl. 6694) This invention pertains toknitting machines of the rotary cylinder type and, in particular, to amechanism for controlling the free ends of fibers used in the productionof so-called high pile fabric.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a means functioningin timed relationship with the rotating cylinder of a high-pile knittingmachine for controlling the direction of the free ends of fiber tufts asthey are drawn into the stitches of a basic fabric.

A further object of the invention is to accomplish the first mentionedobject without the use of compressed air to direct the free ends of thefibers.

Further objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingmore detailed disclosure.

A high pile fabric is one in which the base fabric is supplemented withtufts of fibers whose free ends when drawn into a stitch of the fabric,have a tendency to project outwardly from said base fabric.

Knitting machines used in present day production of socalled high pilefabric employ the use of air nozzles to project compressed air againstthe free ends of the outwardly projecting fibers thus causing said endsto assume a longitudinal position in relationship to the fabric and toappear cleanly at a single face thereof.

As is well known to those conversant with the art, employment of air inthe production of high pile fabric presents many problems such asexcessive attachments for directing the air to particular points on aknitting machine as well as facilities for disposing of lint and excessfibers carried into the machine by the streams of air directed thereon.

According to the invention of the instant case, fiber stock in the formof roving is fed to the knitting instrumentalities of a knitting machineby way of carding and doffer means at one or more feeding stations. Theknitting instrumentalities .take tufts of fibers from the doifer meansin a known manner and draw said tufts of fibers into the loops of thestitches which form the base fabric. At a point where normally airnozzles would be located for directing these streams of air against thefree ends of the fiber tufts, applicant has applied a rotary disc whichfunctions in timed relationship with the revolving needle cylinder bymeans of a slotted second disc rotatable upon the same axis as saidrotary disc and in meshing relationship with the vertical needle slotsof said revolving needle cylinder. This rotary disc overlies the hooksof the knitting instrumentalities and being in close relationshipthereto the angle at which said disc is positioned and directed or, theplane of rotation of said disc, is such that it intersects the axis ofthe revolving needle cylinder. Rotation of this disc therefore acts uponthe outwardly projecting fibers by folding them inwardly causing them toassume a longitudinal position in relationship to the fabric as is thecase when the pneumatic means is employed.

The invention will be described ingreater detail in the followingdisclosure wherein reference is made to the accompanying figures ofdrawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the invention showing the rotary discin relationship to the knitting instrumentalities as seen lookingoutwardly from the center of a knitting machine.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation partially in section showing the variouscomponents comprising the invention.

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Now referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the invention is shown as applied to aknitting machine having a cylinder 10, circular base 11 and needlesindicated by the numeral .12. There is mounted on the upper surface ofthe circular base 11, and immediately adjacent to each feeding station abearing housing general-1y indicated by numeral 13. Housing 13 comprisesa horizontal mounting surface as at 14 and assembles to the uppersurface of base 11 by one or more cap screws '15 as shown in FIG. 2. Avertical arm 16 extends upwardly from the mounting surface 14 and hasintegral therewith an angularly disposed bearing housing 17 which isadapted to receive anti-friction bearings or bushing type bearings as at18 and 19 for the rotary support and guidance of bolt 20 assembledtherein. Beneath the head 21 of bolt 20 and rotatable therewith there isclamped or otherwise held a fiber controlling disc 22 which receives itsmeans of motion through bolt 20 from a slotted or gear-like, second disc23. This second disc is in meshing relationship with the vertical needleslots 24 situated on the outer periphery of the revolving needlecylinder 10. The slotted disc 23 being rotatable with bolt 20 and inmesh with vertical slots 24 assumes its proper location on bolt 20 bymeans of spacing collars 25 and 26 and is firmly retained in thatposition by tightening nut '27 against the inner race of bearing 18which is spaced from bearing 19 by snap rings such as at 27'.

The indicating arrows shown in FIG. 1 indicate the direction of rotationof the various components.

In operation the needles 12 are raised for the purpose of taking aquantity of fibers 28 from a rotating doifer roll 9.9, which is acomponent of a carding mechanism such as shown in United States Patent2,953,002 and well known :to those familiar with the art. As the needlecylinder revolves, the needles 12 then take the knitting yarn Y to formthe base fabric. This yarn is continuously fed through tube 30. Theneedles as they are drawn downwardly to knit with their tufts of fibersand the base yarn, then approach the revolving fiber controlling disc 22which overlies the knitting instrumentalities and being in very closerelationship thereto the free ends of the fiber tufts contact the outerperiphery of said disc which is preferably roughened as by knurling orthe like. This disc is so timed as to be revolving at a speedconsiderably greater than that of the needle cylinder; therefore, theends of said fibers are folded downwardly as they pass beneath the disccausing them to assume a longitudinal position in relationship to thebase fabric.

Although only one means of rotating the fiber controlling disc has beenillustrated and disclosed, it is to be understood that various types ofdrives would be applicable.

By way of example, the peripheral speed of the disc may be about twicethat of the driving disc 23. Of course, this speed may vary for severalreasons, but, in general, a point on the peripheral surface of the discshould move along with a point on the fabric which it is affecting. Theouter edge, at least, of the disc 22 is preferably roughened as byknurling or the like and thus it Will influence the fibers morepositively. The inner flat surface of the disc runs smoothly over thefibers and serves to iron them down and hold them in flattenedcondition.

For cylinders of larger diameter a flat disc is effective, but for smallcylinders :a convex surface for the disc at the side next the fabric maybe used to iron the fibers in place more effectively.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to beunderstood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number ofways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precisedetails described, but is intended to embrace all variations andmodifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and thescope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a knitting machine of the rotating cylinder type having incombination knitting instrumentalities for drawing yarn into loops toform a base fabric, fiber carding and dotfer means for parallelizing anddelivering to the hooks of the knitting instrumentalities tujts offibers for forming arhigh pile fabric, the improvement which comprises arotary fiber controlling disc, said disc being mounted in overlyingrelation with the books of said instrumentalities and in closerelationship thereto, said disc further being adapted to be driven fromsaid cylinder in a manner so as to impart a greater peripheral speed tosaid disc than that of said cylinder.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein the plane of rotation of said discintersects the axis of said cylinder, and wherein said disc is drivenfrom a member of lesser diameter than said disc and coaxially mountedtherewith,

said member being in meshing relationship with said instrumentalities.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,255,078 Moore Sept. 9, 1941

